And as this mini-gift grew in scope, it got my gears turning. And I tried to put myself in your shoes, dear reader…wondering all the different ways you might want to adapt this simple yet meaningful gift idea for the loved ones in your life.

I thought,

What if the mini-book could work for friend dates?

Or parent-kid dates?

Birthdays?

Mother’s Day or Father’s Day?

Wedding gifts?

The creative brainstorming session was a doozy! And back I went to the drawing board, pouring caffeinated hours upon hours into creating the new and improved 12 Months of Pre-Planned Dates Printable. Version 2.0, if you will.

In fact, instead of just one mini-book, you now have 5+ types of mini-books for 8+ occasions in 1 fabulous printable pack that is 14 pages long. And I’m going to share it with you all today. (And don’t worry, it’s still FREE.)

Here’s what’s new and improved:

1. COVER TEXT

I tweaked the cover page, so instead of it saying, “12 Months of Pre-Planned Date Nights,” it says “12 Months of Pre-Planned Dates.” About half of my own dates were in the daytime and the technicality irked me. (Though guess what? If you liked the ring of the original cover text, it’s still available in the printable pack.)

2. NEW COLOR SCHEMES

You’ve still got the original red color scheme for the classic look, but I added two other options for variety’s sake – – blue and purple. (They print a bit more muted than they appear on the screen.) And if you’re feeling extra wild, you could integrate all the color schemes together into one rainbow-colored mini-book.

3. BLANK MINI-PAGE

If you’re like me, you might want to include a personalized note or favorite quote with yours, so I created a blank mini-page in each color scheme! I also added a mini-page with spots to signify the “FOR” and “FROM” if you prefer a simpler approach to the “with love from me to you” dedication page.

4. FRIEND & PARENT-KID DATE COVERS

I also wanted this gift to be adaptable for friend dates…

…as well as parent-kid dates.

So, I created unique covers for each of those gifts. Along with a few others…like Family Dates! (Have I got your gears turning now with all of the potential this here printable pack holds?)

5. WEDDING GIFT OPTION

I also wanted this gift to adapt well as a wedding, engagement, or anniversary gift for another couple. So, I created a page with some brief instructions and inspiration, so the couple knows exactly what to do with a blank book!

This is also a great opportunity for printing off some photos of the happy couple, cutting them to match the page size, and using them as dividers in between each month! (That’s what I did for an engagement gift for our friends Hannah and Ben.)

6. MINI-CARDS FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Here’s a list of all of the occasion cards included in the printable pack:

Congrats!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Father’s Day!

Just Because

And I threw in a “You are loved” mini-card in there for good measure. It never hurts to be reminded of that, does it?

7. LIST OF 25 DATE IDEAS

So, you may recall I came up with a list of 101 Creative Date Nights on a Dime this past Valentine’s Day…so I grabbed some of my favorites (25 of them to be exact) and included them in a single sheet at the end of the printable pack to help get your creative juices flowin’.

And when in doubt, feel free to check the original post to see all 101! Many of them would apply not only to romantic dates, but friend and family dates, too!

8. ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Lastly, on the cover sheet of the printable, I wrote out some basic assembly instructions, which should help you make sense of all the goodies in the printable pack and what you need to complete your mini-book. Although it’s really so simple:

pre-plan some dates! {see our 12 for this year HERE…plus the list of 101 ideas HERE.}

…and prepare to enjoy a year together of love-soaked quality time!

Free Download

The Printable Pack is available for FREE as a gift to all email newsletter subscribers. So, if you’d like to subscribe to receive more creative ideas right in your inbox along with this fab freebie, fill out your email in the box below:

Now, go and make me proud, gifting quality time to those you love in mini-book form. Life’s too short not to plan intentional time together…am I right?

Extra, extra! I’ve got two exciting UPDATES for ya!

On a Mini-Book Kick?

If you’re like me and just can’t get enough of these mini-books, be sure to check out my latest one, a “What I Love About You From A to Z” Mini-Book Gift. Your recipient will receive a barrage of love through 26 different affirmations, one for each letter of the alphabet! Check it out HERE.

Hungry for More Meaningful Gift Ideas?

If this post has whet your appetite for more gifts that aren’t too expensive but come straight from the heart, guess what? I wrote a 143-page eBook to help my comrades come up with meaningful and one-of-a-kind gift ideas quickly, some in as short as 5 minutes.

The book includes:

21 gift ideas

78 actionable-examples

20 pages of printables.

Oh, and most of the gift ideas will cost you $10 or less. Truth. So, what are you waiting for, friend? Click HERE so you can read the sample chapters before nabbing your copy of Thinking Outside the Gift Box.

Join the revolution as we rediscover the joy of giving.

*Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Thinking Closet may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping to support this site!

These came out fabulously!! Love all the variations you came up with. This could truly be a gift for any occasion. I love all the extra ideas you gave, too…adding photos and giving as a wedding or engagement gift is genius!

Love these! Printing now! Wonderful idea for so many occasions. Now that I’ve met Ben and Hannah, seeing the photo of them that you added to the engagement gift you made them brought a smile to my face!

I’m so printing these! Thanks for sharing! Also wanted to let you know about a new linky party starting this Saturday at 8pm called “Found & Foraged” Can’t wait to party with you at http://www.houseofhipsters.com

Oh wow! Are you wanting to find a way to keep track of those birthdays? Or to celebrate them? I’m writing an eBook on the subject of gift-giving and it hits the virtual presses on Monday. I have a hunch you’ll be able to find tons of inspiration there!

Oh my goodness! I love these so much! I’m so excited to make one for my husband for his stocking 🙂 Thanks for sharing! We always take forever trying to figure out what to do on date nights. This will make our lives easier and it will be fun to plan out! I found you through the Do Tell Tuesday link party. I’m excited to look through your site!

This is so fabulous! I was just sitting here realizing that our 11 year anniversary coming up this month will be our first date since…our 10 year anniversary! How sad…perhaps with this little prize (and a babysitter approximately 12 times) we can remedy this problem prior to the 12th anniversary. How I do enjoy your brilliant ideas!

Hi Lauren,
I love these date cards and the holiday cards. This is such a great idea. I can honestly say that after finding your blog, I am going to save up for a Silhouette machine. This looks really fun!

Hello! I just subscribed and can’t wait to get the download so I can make this for my boyfriend before Saturday! I already have the dates figured out, and I’m so excited! I have one question– if I wanted to print pictures to use as dividers, what is the size I would print them?
Thank so much!

Hey Megan! So excited that YOU’RE excited. The dimensions of the cards are But they are 3″ x 1.87″ (so two mm. shy of 2″). I would recommend printing your photos slightly larger than that and trimming them down to match the cards once you’ve printed them. Best of luck! (And if you think to snap a pic or two, I’d LOVE to see the finished creation.) Enjoy!

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I’m a New York gal putting down new roots in Orlando, Florida with my hubby and our sailboat. My heart skips a beat for all things creative, be it crafting, upcycling, sewing, journaling…especially blogging. If I can make you smile or ignite in you a spark of inspiration, then my job is done here. Won’t you grab a cup of chai, a comfy blanket, and stay a while? {read more...}

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